Unmanned aerial vehicles (“UAV”) and unmanned aircraft system (“UAS”), otherwise known as drones, were once only thought of as military aircraft. Images from the news media and the government show relatively large aircraft controlled by an operator hundreds of miles (or half a world) away. Unmanned aircraft, such as the Predator, have become famous for performing surveillance and/or delivering a weapon without risk to the operator. As the technology to control and operate unmanned aircraft has become cheaper and widely available, commercial-grade and consumer-grade drones have been developed by a variety of manufacturers. These drones can be purchased for as little as $1,000. In fact, drones have become reliable and economical enough to enable some companies, such as Amazon® and Lakemaid Beer® Company, to consider business plans that focus on the use of drones for commercial endeavors.
However, before anyone can launch their drone into the sky, the Federal Aviation Administration (“FAA”) has to develop a set of commercial-grade and consumer-grade rules. Some of these rules include, for example, operator training requirements, certification requirements, communication capabilities, Sense and Avoid (“SAA”) standards, separation requirements, privacy regulations, security regulations, environmental regulations, aircraft size limitations, and mode of control requirements. As mandated by the FAA Modernization and Reform Act of 2012, the FAA is required to finalize the rules and integrate drones into the national airspace by 2015.
While the actual implementation date is in question, there is no doubt commercial-grade and consumer-grade drones will become pervasive in the near future. The wide-spread use of drones may be acceptable for some individuals. However, other individuals are concerned with privacy and security. After all, it is hard to imagine the FAA will be able to regulate every single drone that takes to the sky. Unfortunately, the days of unwanted drones peering into the private lives of individuals are fast approaching.